Serotonin

07 I for now

"You don't say," Adrian added, and I arched an eyebrow at him. Before I could retort, a waiter called out Adrian's name, and we turned towards him.

"Sir, your father is requesting your company, along with your lady friend," he informed Adrian, who stiffened at the request. Then, he gradually nodded, and the waiter scampered off.

"I'll go by myself," Adrian said with conviction, and his friends nodded in agreement. Like I'd back down in the face of a challenging situation.

"That'll be a dealbreaker, I'm supposed to spend the entire ball with you, remember?" I said lightly, but the look in my eyes left no room for discussion. Adrian sighed whereas Tyler looked at me with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I can handle it," I said with a small smile.

"I don't think, it's you that we should worry about," Ethan chuckled, and Tyler relaxed a little.

"We'll be right behind, if you need backup or an escape route," Tyler said, and I chuckled at his theatrics.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Adrian muttered under his breath, no hint of his usual smile on his face. His carefree nature had evaporated and in place stood a brooding serious guy.

"Come on, lighten up. It can't be that bad," I said in an attempt to console him, very well knowing how bad it could get.

"Well then, you've clearly never met my father," he said firmly, but what he didn't know was that I was extremely familiar with his father. James Carter had never missed an opportunity to cause trouble for my company, and that had included tainting my name without ever meeting me.

He played dirty by sourcing new scandals to bring down our stocks, yet Mr. Anderson had never let me handle him by myself. According to him, there were still things I needed to learn, and I trusted him enough to let him have his way.

James Carter already had fixated his gaze on Adrian as we made our way to him. He looked like an older refined version of Adrian, with the same sea-green eyes and sleek black hair with white roots. But there was a dangerous glint in his eyes and a mocking smile on his face, which automatically made me wary of him.

"I'm glad son, you finally graced me with your presence," James said, and Adrian shot him a glare. I could sense that the animosity between them ran deeper than this.

"Father," Adrian nodded in acknowledgment, but the look in his eyes was a warning. His playful demeanour was long gone, and he looked almost scary with the hateful smirk on his face.

Then Adrian's eyes moved towards mine, I could see he didn't want me to witness this, so he chose to not indulge in his father's attempt to initiate a heated argument. I shot him a reassuring smile. Between Adrian and his father, I didn't need to think twice before choosing sides.

"I can see you were rather preoccupied, but when are you not," James said scornfully and then turned towards me. His eyes narrowed when he realized who I was and then gave me a mocking smile. Adrian's jaw clenched at his remark.

"Olivia Whitmore, It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," he said with a fake smile, effectively sizing me up and trying to make me feel inferior in his presence.

"I wish I could say the same, Sir," I said and firmly shook the hand that he had extended in my direction. I saw a glimmer of a smile on Adrian's lips.

"Your reputation precedes you," he said with a wry laugh, and I smirked at him. Adrian tried to say something, but I cut him off.

"You would know, considering the role you played in forming it," I said with a cold look in my eyes and a sickeningly sweet smile on my face. Adrian's eyes widened at my remark, and he narrowed his eyes towards his father in contempt.